1978 911SC - to mod, or not to mod...
 

I recently purchased a 1978 911SC with the intention of modifying it to look like Magnus Walker's 911SCHR. Bought the car online and when I received it, it exceeded all my expectations. Car is beautiful and the thought of changing has me questioning my original intentions. From an investment standpoint, is it better to just keep it as it is?

I plan on holding onto it for a very long time.

Drive it for a while. Even those mods cost bucks and you should be aware of the "Slippery Slope". Examine why you bought the car in the first place but most of all get to know it first.

Its better to keep it as-is. It will always be worth more.
So get yourself another one and modify that one! ;)

Pete

If it isn't an ultra low mileage all original collectors dream, then do what you feel is right.
It's a car... :)
Oh, btw it is traditional for you to post photos of your car, first post and all.

If you have no plans to resell it, then customize it the way you'd like. If you're ever thinking of selling it, it'll lose some of it's value and appeal to purists if changed. Have you have someone inspect the car? We always recommend getting a PPI report before buying. It may look beautiful on the outside but have a ton of issues once looking under the hood. Best of luck with the car.


-Dmitry

Do you what you feel is right to you. Especially if you never plan to sell it. Drive it nd enjoy it to the fullest.

Why leave the car stock and pristine for the next guy? (It's like never banging your girlfriend so she stays tight.... for the next guy)

If you mod it and you feel guilty about it, keep the parts in case you ever want to bring it back to 'stock'.

there is something to be said for a mint, period correct car, but most of the "mods" done to give the car an "outlaw" look are reversible. We are talking about swapping original parts for mismatched racer look parts. Just keep the original parts in the attic.
Any time you customize a car you are limiting your resale market size. Unless your car is super low milage then do what you want and enjoy it... or as Magnus would say..."get out and drive."

Another vote for keeping it as is for a year.
Sort out any little mechanical issues.
Your decision may be more clear with time.

I had an 83 that I did mods to (M&K, SSIs, Rotas, RS carpet and door cards, stripped AC, heater backdate, and a few other minor things) and it cost me in the end. I ended up selling it to someone who was looking for exactly what I had but they knew the "no longer stock" brought a lower price. All that said, I'd do it the way you want. I LOVED my car when I was done because it was what I wanted it to be (this was pre-Magnus fame). I actually think if Magnus had the popularity he does now when I sold mine it would have been a plus, but…..
I've never been much for holding back on things for the purpose resale value. It doesn't sound like that was your original intention so I consider that….besides, it'll just be swimming around in your head the whole time…., "what if I just do the bumpers?"….."maybe just tweak the exhaust?" and you'll eventually cave :D

Such great feedback, thx all. First, here are some pics! One thing I might do is lose the sugar scoop headlights to give it a more aggressive stance. It's already at Euro height.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg

Had me hysterical here!

From an investment standpoint, it is better to not modify it because the people paying the big bucks for 911s are nerds that do not care that modified ones are far superior to stockers in every measurable way, except re-sale value.

This is a no brainer. From an investment standpoint keep it as original as possible. Modified cars seldom fetch the cubic dollars as stock originals.

BUT. There is always one. If you choose to modify it, make sure they are easily reversible and always, always, keep the original parts.

BUT BUT, Sticking to your original investment concern. The money you might spend on mods still will mostly be lost when you decide to return the car to original. The money would best be spent on part restoration and refurbishment.

I went down the path of modding my early car with easily reversible pieces, but a good chunk of the value of those was lost when returning the car to stock. I used the money from selling the non-original parts and much more to recover seats, new carpet, re-anodizing all engine compartment metal and much more before selling for 6 figures. You may not net that kind of money, but nice reasonable mileage cars in great or fetching mid 5 figures.

My been there done that advice is to use your discretionary money to make it the nicest 78SC you can and watch your original investment and pride only grow.

..

goals!

Nice looking ride. Classy.

Cars are not terribly good investments. Except for the very rare case of super low miles and exemplary condition on a car of some historical significance this is typically the case. However, after saying that, many typical investments have been returning less than what purchasing a nice 911 seven or eight years ago would have done.

But then you can't drive it. I like driving mine. It's not an investment, though I am thoughtful about what mods I might like to make.

Your car looks pretty good right now. If it were mine, I'd probably switch to Euro H4s to start and think about little things as your time with it continues. Get to know the car and see what she wants... ;)

Mod it!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487826420.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487826420.jpg

I say mod it to your hearts content. Make it your own and enjoy the hell out of it.

Oh Booke, you were missed last night. Just like you missed my post above. ;)

Maybe you were keeping Kennik under control so the rest of us could eat in peace. :D

I saw your post Rick, just giving my input as well. Kenik's on a cruise in the Atlantic while I'm on an island in the pacific, so I was no help there.